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GunUp.com founder Dan Hall admits that it's a little odd operating a social networking site for gun enthusiasts from a place like Seattle. After all, there are plenty of other cities in the U.S. where guns play a much more important part of the culture. Nonetheless, Hall and co-founder David Burcham are pushing ahead with the launch of their Pioneer Square startup. We chatted with Hall -- who is planning a full launch of the site for October 15th -- for this week's installment of Startup of the Week.

What’s your elevator pitch in 140 characters or less.. The online experience for gun enthusiasts is cumbersome and fragmented. There is no authoritative community for this $11 billion market. GunUp.com is the solution to this problem.

We came up with the idea for the startup while ... Conducting product research for a personal firearm purchase. After much frustration, gnashing of teeth, scores of Google searches and hundreds of clicks later, I realized there needs to be a better way to do this.

The word that best describes our company culture is... Enthusiastic.

We are different from the competition because... we are committed to creating an overwhelmingly positive user experience for this under-serviced, passionate niche community by bringing the online gun experience into the 21st century. We also feel that it is important to support our community and veteran population.

The biggest challenge we face is... Overcoming the misconceptions that people have about guns and gun enthusiasts. Responsible gun ownership is more common and mainstream than many realize. Forty percent of American households own a firearm. These are your friends, co-workers, teammates, and family members -- even in Seattle. We tend to just be more discreet about it here.

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